


Beautiful Uncertainty

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-09
Updated: 2005-12-09
Packaged: 2019-01-19 21:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: "They’re both convinced that a sudden passion joined them. Such certainty is beautiful, but uncertainty is more beautiful still." She's lost, he helps, and the jolts are definitely there.





	Beautiful Uncertainty

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

**Beautiful Uncertainty**

**Disclaimer:** Wislawa Szymborska’s beautiful, beautiful poem—“Love at First Sight”—is definitely not mine. Of course, all _Harry Potter_ characters belong to JK Rowling.

**A/N:** The poem is beautiful. I highly, highly suggest you to read it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_They’re both convinced_  
that a sudden passion joined them.  
Such certainty is beautiful,  
but uncertainty is more beautiful still.  
—Wislawa Szymborska 

She was lost in the crowd, swerving this way and that with her ponderous trolley. And not just lost in the thick throng of passengers, but her mind was lost. She was looking for a place that simply did not exist. A world that did not exist.

But it’s all here! The books, the robes, the trolley full of school supplies from Diagon Alley. That all existed, right?

She sighed and stared at a young man dressed in navy, pointing directions to an elderly couple to a different platform. Maybe _he_ would know where Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was?

That’s what she thought when her mum had asked the other four, too. Sighing resignedly, she rolled her trunk over to a bench and plopped down. A funny looking lady with frightening blond hair sat at the very edge of other end and eyed her golden owl suspiciously.

Her mum was still staring at the sign hanging above her, proclaiming Platform Nine. Her expression was one of utter loss. A loss for words, direction, and comfort for her daughter. She sat down beside her and put an arm around her.

And he sauntered, as much as an eleven-year-old could saunter, assured of himself, ahead of his parents, eager to get to his destination. This was the year. His year. He’d been looking forward to this day since _that_ letter.

He reached the barrier between the two platforms and waited impatiently for his parents to catch up. They obviously were trying to take as long as humanly possible. As his bored fingers drummed on his trunk, his gaze wandered to a woman gently smoothing out the wavy locks of a girl—her daughter, he assumed. Her eyes were closed as she leaned on her mother’s chest tiredly.

He looked up and suddenly saw his father there, patting his head and smiling in encouragement.

He glanced back at the girl. Her hand was on a trolley. A trolley not much different from his own, loaded with a trunk and topped with an owl cage.

A Muggleborn. That’s who she was!

His mum followed his gaze and seemed to immediately understand. She approached the pair with a warm smile and gestured towards her own son.

Her mum gently pulled her to her feet and guided her small hands back onto her trolley. Feet shuffling, she gingerly walked over to where the boy and his father were standing.

Their gazes locked. 

It felt like a jolt, a bit of an odd feeling, really. Like when you simultaneously raise your eyes to meet a stranger’s. You don’t look away, because an inexplicable magnet draws you in and refuses to let you break free. You jerk your head back a bit in the strange feeling of it, as if to resist.

He grinned toothily. She looked away, down, as a shy smile spread on her freckled face.

_What was that?_ Her mind echoed with the question. She had never looked at someone, anyone, and felt that jolt, that spark. It was strange, uncalled for, unusual. It made her squirm inside. And yet, it was a good feeling. She wondered what this all meant. Maybe he had magical powers.

Yes, that was it. He was magical! He was going to the magical school, the wonderful place the letter wrote about, and…the hope bubbled up inside her chest.

His mum was calmly explaining to hers just how to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

She looked down at her hands and fiddled with her fingers, rubbing a faintly bluish bruise on her knuckle. He couldn’t stop staring at her hair. It was just so, so… _orange_. She glanced up at him, just to glimpse a second look, a good look, at his thin features, and her pretty little pale cheeks tinged pink at his unwavering gaze.

It was a bit funny, almost. The other was unlike any person either of the two had ever met.

Hazel eyes, glassy behind spectacles, bony features, hair that resembled a black, overused feather duster, sticking up everywhere. Tumbling waves of orange, pale skin sprinkled with freckles, eyes like the grassy yard where he flew around on his new broomstick yesterday.

He shook his head a bit to break himself from the trance. His mouth opened and out tumbled blurts of attempted conversation. She smiled vaguely, amused by his talk.

Their mums ended their conversation all too soon upon realizing that the time of departure was near. Her mum clutched her in a hug, whispering a goodbye to her precious little girl that would, in a minute, be off in a world that she couldn’t possibly begin to imagine.

He grinned confidently as he suddenly swerved his cart and ran straight into the barrier between Platform Nine and Platform Ten. A small gasp escaped her lips, and her mum watched in awe.

With a bit of urging and a gentle push, she finally turned to face the solid brick wall. Maybe this was all foolish nonsense! She’ll end up with a big purple bump on her head and a crowd of people laughing and staring.

Squeezing her eyes shut tight before she changed her mind, she swerved slowly and started to run.

Left, right, left, right. Left! Right!

The crash against the solid brick wall never came. A swell of voices suddenly met her ears, and she opened her eyes to a world of wonder.

Here she was. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the sign swinging above her proclaimed proudly.

People were everywhere! Children, just like her. They were boarding that long, long scarlet train, shining brightly in the September sun. Parents, meddling over their kids one last time, fussing here and there. A grey cat streaked by, and she jumped back in surprise.

She looked up in the direction in which the cat disappeared and met a pair of shining hazel eyes.

Another jolt.

She blinked a couple times and wheeled over.

“Just wait'll we get there!” he whispered excitedly in her ear.

A promise. It was a promise of the amazing things just waiting for her at Hogwarts.

She smiled in reply.

“Let’s go, then.”

_**Finis**_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

**A/N:** I know all the pronouns are really confusing. My apologies, and a request to point out any errors! This is a bit different from anything I’ve done, so reviews are very much appreciated.

.mische. 


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